BUCKINGHAM. — DIVISION OF LABOR AMONG ANTS. 407 



and intermediates which performed the greater part, the minors hardly 

 sharing at alh Digging is here similar to that described for PImdole 

 pUifera (p. 485). 



Carrii'nig (and being carried) was not a frequent occurrence, and 

 even when it did occur, it was, in these nests, rather a dragging than a 

 carrying. In the few cases where it was observed, minors were drag- 

 ging intermediates or majors, and no minors were dragged. 



Any unemployed ants may collect in the chamber with the queen, 

 regardless of their size, and I have no reason to think that one size is 

 more apt to do this than is another. 



When the, nest is jarred, or the earth on top broken, ants of all sizes 

 become much excited. Here there did not seem to be a difference 

 in the reaction of ants of different sizes as there was in the out-door 

 nests. 



Nothing resembling guarding was observed. 



ii. In Out-door Nests. 



1. Field Notes. 



1. Methods. — In considering these notes it should be remembered 

 that the records were made at the time the ants were captured, and 

 therefore before any conclusions could have been deduced from them. 

 Later, the ants were arranged in series, and they will be described further 

 on (pp. 469-471). The results of these field observations are of course 

 additional to those obtained by actually collecting and arranging other 

 ants in series. So far as they agree with the results deduced from 

 collected material (see pp. 4G9-471), they strengthen the conclusions 

 drawn from that material. The classes had to be determined arbi- 

 trarily, and were designated as "majors," "intermediates," and "mi- 

 nors." The numbers were also, as a rule, only approximate, and were 

 classed as "many," "some," and "few," except where actual numbers 

 are given, when they always fell under "few." The approximate num- 

 bers of individuals of each class occupied each day in each activity, 

 then, were observed, and a summary was made first for each colony, 

 and later a summary for all the colonies taken together. The lack of 

 records in several of these activities (regurgitating and receiving re- 

 gurgitated food, licking and being licked, and as a rule, surrounding 

 the queen) is due to the fact that it is difficult, and often impossible, 

 to observe them in an undisturbed out-door nest, and one must there- 

 fore depend upon as natural conditions as possible in the laboratory to 

 show facts concerning them. Though digging is not represented here, 

 nevertheless I succeeded in capturing ants engaged in this activity 



